Assistance on the go

ABSTRACT

A mobile computerized apparatus or method configured to coordinate towing facilities and roadside assistance providers and their available capacity to tow and provide roadside assistance and match users with those towing facilities and roadside assistance providers is disclosed. The apparatus or method may be configured to consider the following factors in matching the towing facilities/roadside assistance providers and users: (a) availability of nearby towing facilities; (b) telematics information from the vehicle to assist with the diagnosis/repairs; (c) preset preferences of the user; (d) insurance information (such as the type of the vehicle the user has and the user&#39;s home address); and (e) the capabilities of the towing facility.

The application is a continuation to U.S. Non-Provisional applicationSer. No. 15/135,101, filed Apr. 21, 2016, which claims priority fromcontinuation to U.S. Non-Provisional application Ser. No. 14/611,915,filed Feb. 2, 2015, issued as U.S. Pat. No. 9,412,130 on Aug. 9, 2016,which claims priority from continuation-in-part application to U.S.Non-Provisional application Ser. No. 12/859,627, filed Aug. 19, 2010,issued as U.S. Pat. No. 9,070,243 on Jun. 30, 2015, which claimspriority from both U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/235,217,entitled “Assistance on the Go,” filed Aug. 19, 2009, and U.S.Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/255,349, entitled “Assistance on theGo,” filed Oct. 27, 2009, which are both herein incorporated byreference in their entireties.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Aspects of the disclosure relate to roadside service and other enhancedservices using a mobile device. More specifically, aspects of thedisclosure relate to wireless-enabled devices that communicate with aremote server computer to facilitate and enhance roadside services andother services, such as towing services.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Aspects of the invention may take physical form in certain parts andsteps, embodiments of which will be described in detail in the followingdescription and illustrated in the accompanying drawings that form apart hereof, wherein:

FIG. 1 depicts an illustrative operating environment in accordance withaspects of the invention;

FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary operating environment in accordance withaspects of the invention;

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating the pre-registration process inaccordance with aspects of the association;

FIGS. 4-6 illustrate exemplary screenshots of an application forroadside assistance in accordance with various aspects of the invention;

FIG. 7 illustrates an exemplary block diagram of a roadside assistancesystem and application that may be used to implement various aspects ofthe disclosure; and

FIGS. 8A and 8B illustrate a method of providing a roadside assistancesystem and application in accordance with aspects of the disclosure.

It will be apparent to one skilled in the art after review of theentirety disclosed that the steps illustrated in the figures listedabove may be performed in other than the recited order, and that one ormore steps illustrated in these figures may be optional.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

In one embodiment in accordance with aspects of the disclosure, a methodfor coordinating roadside assistance service providers and theiravailable capacity and matching users that require roadside assistanceto those roadside assistance service providers is disclosed. The methodmay include the steps of: (1) receiving, through a mobile applicationexecuting on a mobile device having at least one processor, a roadsideassistance request from a user, wherein the roadside assistance requestis received through the mobile device; (2) receiving, by the mobileapplication, telematics information from a telematics device; (3)receiving, by the mobile application, insurance information from aninsurance company, wherein the insurance information includesinformation about the user, vehicle information, and the user's homelocation; (4) providing, by the mobile application, a prioritizedranking of roadside assistance service providers based on the telematicsinformation, insurance information, and the roadside assistance request;(5) providing, by the mobile application, roadside assistance providerinformation based on the prioritized ranking of roadside assistanceproviders; (6) receiving, by the mobile application, a roadsideassistance order from the user that includes a selected roadsideassistance provider; (7) transmitting, by the mobile application, theroadside assistance order to the selected roadside assistance provider;(8) receiving, by the mobile application, confirmation of the roadsideassistance order from the selected roadside assistance provider; and (9)providing, by the mobile application, an electronic payment to theselected roadside assistance provider for the roadside assistance order.

In another embodiment in accordance with aspects of the disclosure, amethod for coordinating roadside assistance service providers and theiravailable capacity and matching users that require roadside assistanceto those roadside assistance service providers is disclosed. The methodmay include the steps of: (1) after occurrence of a roadside event to avehicle, receiving input at a mobile device related to an electronicmembership card; (2) retrieving, from a data store, membershipinformation associated with the vehicle, where the membershipinformation includes insurance information and roadside assistanceservices available to the vehicle to remedy the roadside event, whereinthe insurance information includes information about the user, vehicleinformation, and the user's home location; (3) receiving, by a roadsideassistance system with a mobile application executing on the mobiledevice having at least one processor, a towing request from a user; (4)receiving, by the roadside assistance system, telematics informationfrom a telematics device; (5) providing, by the roadside assistancesystem, a prioritized ranking of tow truck providers based on thetelematics information, the insurance information, and the towingrequest, wherein the ranking is based on a safest route from a selectedtow truck to the vehicle as determined by the roadside assistancesystem; (6) providing, by the roadside assistance system, tow truckprovider information based on the prioritized ranking of tow truckproviders; (7) receiving, by the roadside assistance system, a towingorder from the user; (8) transmitting, by the roadside assistancesystem, the towing order to the selected tow truck; and (9) providing,by the roadside assistance system, an electronic payment to the selectedtow truck for the towing order to the selected tow truck.

In another embodiment in accordance with aspects of the disclosure, oneor more non-transitory computer readable media storing computer readableinstructions that, when executed, cause an apparatus to coordinateroadside assistance service providers and their available capacity andmatch users that require roadside assistance to those roadsideassistance service providers is disclosed. The apparatus may provideinclude the instruction of: (a) after occurrence of a roadside event toa vehicle, receive input at a mobile device regarding the roadside eventto the vehicle; (b) receive, through a mobile application executing onthe apparatus, a roadside assistance request from a user, wherein theroadside assistance request is received through the mobile device andrelates to the roadside event to the vehicle; (c) receive, by the mobileapplication, telematics information from a telematics device, whereinthe telematics information includes information from the vehicle toassist with a diagnosis and repairs for the roadside event to thevehicle; (d) receive, by the mobile application, insurance informationfrom an insurance company, wherein the insurance information includesinformation about the user, vehicle information, and the user's homeaddress; (e) determine and provide, by the mobile application, aprioritized ranking of roadside assistance providers based on thetelematics information, the insurance information, and the roadsideassistance request; (f) provide, by the mobile application, roadsideassistance service provider information based on the prioritized rankingof roadside assistance service providers; (g) receive, by the mobileapplication, a roadside assistance order automatically selected by themobile application based on the roadside assistance service providerthat scores the highest according to a preset algorithm, wherein theroadside assistance order include a selected roadside assistanceprovider; (h) transmit, by the mobile application, the roadsideassistance order to the selected roadside assistance provider; and (i)provide, by the mobile application, an electronic payment to theselected roadside assistance provider for the roadside assistance order.

The details of these and other embodiments of the present invention areset forth in the accompanying drawings and the descriptions below. Otherfeatures and advantages of the invention will be apparent from thedescription and the drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 depicts an illustrative operating environment in accordance withaspects of the invention. A user of wireless-enabled devices 102, 104may communicate with a wireless access point 106. The wireless-enableddevice 102 may be a mobile telephone with applications and otherfunctionality (e.g., APPLE® iPhone, RESEARCH IN MOTION® Blackberry, HTC®Android-based G1, or other mobile telephone), a handheld device withWi-Fi connectivity (e.g., APPLE® iTouch), a mobile telephone with anenhanced roadside assistance application installed, or other portableelectronic device. The wireless-enabled devices 102, 104 may beconfigured to communicate with a wireless access point 106 such as acellular tower operated by a cellular service provider. Alternatively,the wireless access point 106 may be a Wi-Fi (e.g., compatible with IEEE802.11a/b/g/etc. wireless communication standards) hotspot where thewireless-enabled device 102, 104 may obtain access to the Internet(e.g., to communicate using online chat applications or voice-over-IPapplications). One skilled in the art will appreciate that othertechniques may be used to allow devices 102, 104 access over a wide areanetwork (WAN).

The data communicated from the user devices 102, 104 may be transmittedto a server 108. The server 108 (e.g., a high-performance Intel®computer) may include a memory 112 storing computer-readableinstructions and a processor 114 for executing the computer-readableinstructions. The data communicated to the server 108 from the userdevice 102, 104 may be transmitted over the WAN through wireless accesspoint 106. Meanwhile, another server 110 may be comprised of a memory120 storing computer-readable instructions and a processor 116 forexecuting the computer-readable instructions in accordance with aspectsof the invention. The memories 112, 120 may also store computer datafiles that hold information that may be useful to applications runningon the user's mobile device 102, 104 or the servers 108, 110. Forexample, the computer data files may include user login/profileinformation, insurance policy (or motor club) information, serviceprovider list and related information, and/or other information. Thedata collected and stored in the data files may be used to support oneor more of the numerous features disclosed throughout this disclosure.

One skilled in the art will appreciate that the server (e.g., servers110 and 108) is not limited to a single machine or device. The servermay be embodied as a web server or Internet-accessible server.Furthermore, the term server refers to any system of computers and/ordevices (e.g., firewalls, routers, caching systems, proxy servers, etc.or combination thereof) that may be used to provide access to servicesand features available for use. As such, different reference to theserver performing particular steps does not require that the samemachine/device perform all the steps.

Servers (108 and 110), data store 122, and wireless access point 106 maycommunicate over a wired and/or wireless connection. In some instances,a private, secure connection may be established between one or more ofthese components. For example, server 108 and server 110 may communicateover a network cloud representing the Internet. Alternatively, server108 and data store 122 may communicate over a secure WAN or a dedicatedT1 (or other telecommunications) line. Furthermore, wireless devices102, 104 may include a processor, memory, display screen (e.g.,touchscreen), keypad, sensors (e.g., motion, light, etc.), camera,global positioning system (GPS) chip, audio output/input devices, andother electronic components configured for use in mobile phones, PDAs,and mini-laptops.

In another example, one or more servers 108, 110 may include aprocessor, RAM, ROM, communications module, and/or memory storing anoperating system, applications, and/or data. The server may have aprocessor for controlling overall operation of the server and itsassociated components, including random access memory, read-only memory,communications module, and memory. Such a server may include a varietyof computer readable media. Computer readable media may be any availablemedia, both tangible and intangible, that may be accessed by the serverand include both volatile and nonvolatile media, and removable andnon-removable media. By way of example, and not limitation, computerreadable media may comprise a combination of computer storage media andcommunication media. Computer storage media include volatile andnonvolatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in any methodor technology for storage of information such as computer readableinstructions, object code, data structures, program modules or otherdata. Computer storage media include, but are not limited to, randomaccess memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), electronically erasableprogrammable read only memory (EEPROM), flash memory or other memorytechnology, CD-ROM, digital versatile disks (DVD) or other optical diskstorage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage orother magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used tostore the desired information and that can be accessed by the server.

The aforementioned server may include one or more applicationsrepresenting the application data stored in RAM memory while the serveris on and corresponding software applications (e.g., software tasks) arerunning on the server. The aforementioned communications module mayinclude a microphone, keypad, touch screen, and/or stylus through whichan (optional) user of the server may provide input, and may also includeone or more of a speaker for providing audio output and a video displaydevice for providing textual, audio/visual and/or graphical output.Software may be stored within the memory and/or storage to provideinstructions to the processor for enabling the server to perform variousfunctions. For example, memory may store software used by the server,such as an operating system, application programs, and/or an associateddatabase. Alternatively, some or all of the computer executableinstructions for the server may be embodied in hardware or firmware.Moreover, a database (or data store) 122 may provide centralized storageof data.

Such a server may operate in a networked environment supportingconnections to one or more remote computing devices. The remotecomputing devices may be personal computing devices or servers thatinclude many or all of the elements described above relative to theserver. Remote computing devices may be a mobile device communicatingover wireless carrier channel. The network connections depicted in thefigures may include a local area network (LAN) and/or a wide areanetwork (WAN), but may also include other networks. When used in a LANnetworking environment, the server may be connected to the LAN through anetwork interface or adapter in the communications module. When used ina WAN networking environment, the server may include a modem in thecommunications module or other means for establishing communicationsover the WAN, such as the Internet. It will be appreciated that thenetwork connections shown and described are illustrative and other meansof establishing a communications link between the computing devices maybe used. The existence of any of various well-known protocols such asTCP/IP, Ethernet, FTP, HTTP and the like is presumed, and the system canbe operated in a client-server configuration to permit a user toretrieve web pages from a web-based server. Any of various commonlyknown web browsers can be used to display and manipulate data on webpages.

Referring to FIG. 2, numerous mobile wireless-enabled devices areillustrated connecting to mobile architecture 200 over a wirelessnetwork. The mobile architecture includes wired and/or wirelessconnections with servers, data store/database, and a wireless accesspoint. An interactive voice response (IVR) system may also be includedto facilitate services not using a cellular data plan. Numerousdifferent application servers and data stores may be included in themobile architecture, including, but not limited to, a database,application server, map server, software application for use at a callcenter or for a customer service platform), CTI (i.e., computertelephony integration—which presents voice and data within a customerservice platform), data store in which customer and supporting datatables may be housed), IVR (interactive voice response) server, webservices application server, interceptor, and firewall. The mobilewireless-enabled devices in FIG. 2 may have application softwareinstalled in accordance with various aspects of the invention. Theapplication software may permit the mobile device to communicate with aremote web services application server through the firewall. In analternative embodiment, the mobile device may have a thin-clientinstalled that provides an interface for the mobile device to executeapplication software on a remote server. One skilled in the art willappreciate the numerous advantages and disadvantages related to thethin-client and thick-client design choices contemplated by the variousembodiments of the invention. Moreover, in some embodiments, the mobiledevice may receive notifications of software updates (e.g., newversions) of the application and can receive automatic (or manuallyauthorized) download and installation of the updates.

Flat Tire.

In one example in accordance with aspects of the invention, John Doe's(i.e., a user) vehicle has a flat tire. John has previously installed aroadside assistance application in accordance with various aspects ofthe invention on his APPLE® iPhone, and he has registered his vehiclewith the application. After launching the roadside assistanceapplication, the registered application attempts to assess whether Johnis in a safe location. If John presses the “911” icon, the applicationwill automatically dial the emergency line to locate emergencyassistance for John. However, in this case, John is at the parkinggarage near his office building, and he presses the “Yes” icon.

Next the application, in this example, requests information about John'sservice needs (see FIG. 5). The application provides a list of services500 to John in a “Service Type” selection box. Some examples of servicetypes include, but are not limited to, locked out (i.e., locked out ofone's vehicle), flat tire/tire needs air/tire change, deadbattery/battery service/battery replacement, jump start, out ofgas/incorrect fuel/fluids, towing, vehicular accident/vehicle fire,mechanical failure/brakes/transmission/engine, lock out/locked out/lostkeys/damage keys/keys locked in car, locksmith, winch/stuck, won'tstart, stalled while driving, reunite, dealer service, transfer,recovery, wrecker, and other (i.e., the service type when none of thelisted services are appropriate). In addition, in those cases where themobile device 102, 104 provides functionality to retrieve and display auser's phone number, the application may retrieve and display thatinformation. John, in some embodiments, may be permitted to edit thecallback number displayed by the application if he desires.

In an alternative example, the mobile device 102, 104 may automaticallyreceive information about the vehicle directly through communicationswith the vehicle's onboard diagnostics system (e.g., ODB II interface orother comparable interface with the vehicle's diagnostics system). Themobile device 102 may be equipped with appropriate circuitry and/orfirmware/software to communicate via the requisite communicationprotocols for the ODB II interface. Alternatively, an external accessory(e.g., peripheral device) may be attached to the ODB II interface totranslate the ODB II codes/data into a format compatible with thecommunication protocol of the application on the mobile device 102, 104.For example, the external accessory may be a bluetooth-compliant devicethat receives the ODB II data and transmits it via bluetooth to themobile device 102. Alternatively, the external accessory may attach tothe pins on a mobile device 102 and receive the data wirelesslytransmitted from the ODB II interface. The information received from thevehicle (e.g., through the ODB II interface) may be used to select theappropriate service type without requiring additional user intervention.Moreover, the ODB II codes may be useful to a service provider (e.g.,towing company or mechanic) in contemplating the needs of the user inpreparation for addressing the user's calamity.

In yet another alternative example, John's vehicle may be equipped witha wireless transmission module (e.g., transceiver circuitry) to transmitdiagnostic information to a car dealership that services his vehicle.The car dealership may then transmit the information to John (e.g., viaan onboard display on the vehicle's dashboard). In accordance withvarious aspects of the invention, assume John Doe is driving a BMW®brand vehicle equipped with BMWAssist®. John may register on a server108 to have updates from a third party (e.g., BMW) computer serverrouted through a server 108 to his mobile device 102 whenever a defectin his vehicle is detected. John Doe can designate computer server 108to receive notifications on his behalf from the third-party server. Assuch, the computer server 108, in accordance with various aspects of theinvention, can process and transmit the notification to John's mobiledevice 102. For example, the third-party server may receive notificationthat a flat-tire has occurred on John Doe's vehicle, and may send anotification to John Doe's mobile device 102 indicating the service typerequired. Consequently, the “Service Type” information may be pre-filledin the application selection screen. Moreover, in such an example, Johnmay or may not need to be physically present at his vehicle. Forexample, John may have parked his vehicle in an outdoor lot on a coldwinter day while at his office, and he may receive a notification (e.g.,a push notification available on APPLE® iPhone OS 3.0 and later, SMSmessage, e-mail, etc.) on his mobile device 102 in the afternoon statingthat his battery has gone dead. John may use his mobile device 102, inaccordance with the various aspects of the invention disclosed herein,to contact a preferred service provider and repair his vehicle, allwhile within the comfort of his warm office and not physically presentat his vehicle.

Furthermore, the ODB II codes (or other types of diagnostic codes)transmitted from the vehicle to the mobile device 102 may be translatedto map against the numerous “Service Type” selections available. ODB IIcodes (and other types of diagnostic codes) may be different fordifferent make and model of cars; therefore, when a user registers withthe application and provides information about his/her vehicle, theappropriate mapping for the type of car can be identified and used fortranslating diagnostic codes. The mapping table may be stored incomputer memory at the mobile device 102 or may be maintained in memory112 at a remote server 108. Likewise, the translation may occur at aprocessor at the mobile device 102 or at the remote server 108. Oneskilled in the art will appreciate that there are numerous benefits anddrawbacks to each approach.

Next, mobile device 102 transmits data, either directly or indirectly,to the remote server 108. The transmission may occur in response to auser keypress (e.g., the user selecting a phone icon on the mobiledevice 102 display). Alternatively, the transmission may occurautomatically (e.g., in the embodiments where the ODB II codes areautomatically retrieved and transmitted). The data transmitted from themobile device 102 may include, but is not limited to, the “service type”selected, user identification information (e.g., the mobile device 102phone number, user's login/username, etc.), location information (e.g.,retrieved from the mobile device 102, manually entered by the user,triangulated from cellular towers by the cellular service provider,etc.), vehicle diagnostic data (e.g., OBD II data/codes), and otheruseful information.

Next, the server 108 receives the data transmitted from the mobiledevice 102. The server 108 may use the data to identify one or moreservice providers (e.g., towing company, taxi company, mechanic, etc.)in the area. In one embodiment, the identification may occur inreal-time using an algorithmic selection process that maintains ratingsand other metrics about the service providers, and selects one or moreprovider based on these ratings and metrics. In another embodiment, theprovider identified may be based on a company's preferred high-qualityrelationship with particular service providers.

In one embodiment in accordance with aspects of the invention, theserver 108 may transmit information about one or more service providersto the mobile device 102 for the user's review and final selection. Assuch, information such as a service provider's name, contactinformation, rating, and other metrics (e.g., distance from mobiledevice's location, cost, etc.) may be displayed on the user's mobiledevice 102. In an alternative embodiment, the server 108 may communicatedirectly with a service provider and hire a service provider to servicethe user. For example, the server 108 may communicate over a network(e.g., the Internet, WAN, etc.) with a service provider's server 110.The server 110 may receive a request for a particular service. Therequest may include pertinent information about the service required,including the location of the vehicle requiring servicing, the type ofservice required, the make/model/color of the vehicle requiringservicing, the maximum charge allowed for the service (e.g.,pre-contracted towing rates), and other information.

The service provider's server 110 may communicate the information tomobile devices carried by (or installed in the vehicles of) itsemployees in the field. As such, the employee can accept or reject thenew service request. Alternatively, the server 110 may communicate theinformation to employees located at an office and that are responsiblefor facilitating new service requests and dispatching service vehicles(e.g., using the Beacon system). Once the service provider accepts thenew service request, their server 110 transmits an acceptance message tothe server 108. In order to facilitate simultaneous communication tomultiple service providers, the server 108 may be required to send aconfirmation message to the service provider once acceptance has beenreceived and accepted. At least one benefit of such a system is thatmultiple service providers may be contacted with a request for aparticular service, and then only the “best” service provider willing toaccept the service request may be confirmed for the job. In oneembodiment in accordance with various aspects of the invention, theservice providers may include a price or quote (or other information,such as estimated time of arrival at the user's vehicle) in itsacceptance message. As such, service providers may compete (e.g., in anauction-like system) for new servicing jobs. Alternatively, the “best”service provider may simply be the first to reply with an acceptancemessage. In some embodiments, the server 108 may also transmit acancellation message to the other service providers (i.e., everyoneexcept the one receiving a confirmation message) once a new servicerequest has been filled so that the other service providers are updatedabout the current status of filled new service requests. Alternatively,new service requests may automatically expire after a predetermined timeperiod. As such, a cancellation message may not be necessary.

The server 108 may transmit to the mobile device 102 information aboutthe service provider that will be servicing the user's vehicle. Theinformation may include, but is not limited to the name of the serviceprovider, the estimated time of arrival (ETA), the phone number for theservice provider (or the mobile phone number of the particular servicevehicle servicing the user's vehicle), and/or other useful information.For example, FIG. 6 illustrates an exemplary “service details” screen600. In some embodiments, the user is conveniently provided with theoption of providing feedback while he/she waits for a service providerto arrive. In some embodiments, the mobile device 102 may receiveregular (e.g., every 5 minutes, real-time, or on another regular orperiodic basis) updates from the server 108 with the approximatelocation of the service vehicle that will be servicing the user'svehicle. The approximate location may be displayed on a map or may beprovided as an approximate distance from the user's vehicle. Moreover,the approximate time until arrival may be displayed and updated on aregular or periodic basis.

In an alternative embodiment, server 108 may provide the mobile device102 with information about service providers. The user may contact theservice providers directly (e.g., by calling their office) to arrangefor a service provider. At least one advantage of such a system oversimply looking up service providers in a telephone directory is that theserver 108 may be able to provide an enhanced list of service providersto the mobile device 102. For example, the list may include one or moreservice providers that are competent in the particular type of servicerequired of the user's vehicle. As such, the user need not be concernedwith whether a particular service provider offers the particular servicerequired of the user's vehicle.

In addition, the server 108 may transmit relevant information to theuser's insurance company, emergency contacts, police, fire department,taxi company, and/or others. For example, information necessary forstarting a claim may be submitted to the insurance company so the user'sprocess for submitting the claim is already partially completed. In someembodiments, the user may retain full control over whether the insurancecompany is notified of the user's vehicle situation.

Moreover, a user's parents, spouse, coworkers, etc. may be contacted toalert them about the user's vehicle situation. For example, in oneembodiment, the server 108 may receive notification from the user'smobile device 102, and then reference the user's preferences. A copy ofthe user's preferences may be saved in memory, e.g., as a data file, atthe server 108. The preferences may indicate which additional people ororganizations to contact and what information to provide to thosepeople. In another embodiment, the application may enable the user tosave his/her emergency contact's information on the mobile device 102.For example, the user may enter his insurance agent's information,personal contact information, and emergency contact information.Alternatively, the screen may permit entry of other relevant informationabout each contact (e.g., email address, SMS number, alternate phonenumbers, etc.) As such, the user may conveniently access his contactsthrough the application's menu.

In one embodiment, the server 108 may automatically send a text message(e.g., SMS, etc.) to the user's parent's phone number (or other people'sphone numbers) with a predetermined message. The server 108 mayalternatively send an e-mail message to the desiredperson/organization's email address. In some embodiments, the desiredperson may have an application installed on his/her mobile device 102that receives a push notification initiated by server 108. The pushnotification may include a textual message and/or other appropriateinformation (e.g., the location of the vehicle/user, the condition ofthe vehicle, whether anyone is injured, etc.) Alternatively, a customerservice representative may be alerted by server 108 to manually call thedesired person/organization and provide an appropriate message.

In another embodiment in accordance with aspects of the disclosure, theuser may be provided with a guided experience when requesting roadsideassistance. The guided experience may be implemented using a series oficons along the top of the screen on the user's mobile device 102. Oneskilled in the art will appreciate that the guided experience may beprovided through different configurations of the icons; for example, theicons may be placed vertically along a side of the screen, or they maybe configured in a circular or other pattern around the screen. Theseries of icons may tell the user where he/she in the process ofobtaining roadside assistance.

In some embodiments in accordance with aspects of the invention, theapplication may verify that the user is in a safe location. An optionfor calling “911” may be provided should the user require immediateemergency assistance. Next, as depicted in FIG. 3, the application mayrequest information about the type of service the user requires. Asdiscussed in detail above, there are numerous service types 300 that maybe available for the user to select. Moreover, as already discussedherein, in some embodiments, the user's vehicle may be equipped withappropriate technology to communicate directly with the mobile device toprovide/recommend the service type information. Next, the applicationmay direct the user to call a roadside assistance customer servicerepresentative to identify and secure the appropriate roadside serviceprovider for the user. The application on the mobile device 102 maytransmit the appropriate information (e.g., member number, member's zipcode, service type requested, and/or user's current location) to thecustomer service center. As such, the representative may already haveinformation about the user and/or user's vehicle on-screen when theconversation begins. Additional information about aspects of thisfeature are disclosed below, including the use of a caller ID feature toautomatically match the user with his/her information.

Once the service provider arrives to provide the user's vehicle withroadside assistance, the user may use his/her mobile device 102 toauthorize payment to the service provider. For example, the mobiledevice 102 may display an icon to permit the user to indicate thatservice has been satisfactorily provided and completed. Upon receipt ofa corresponding message at the server 108 from the mobile device 102,the server 108 may authorize release of funds to the service provider.For example, the server 108 may authorize a bank to perform an ACHtransaction of funds directly into the service provider's bank account.In one example, the funds are sourced from the user's bank account;while in another example, the funds are sourced directly from theaccount of the company providing the roadside assistance program.Meanwhile, in another example a first person (e.g., a parent) mayarrange for a second person (e.g., their child) to authorize release ofthe parent's funds to the service provider. The server 108 may alsonotify the service provider's server 110 that payment has beenauthorized. As such, service provider may receive more prompt paymentfor its services, while also reducing the need to process claims at theinsurance company.

Vehicle Incident.

In yet another example in accordance with various aspects of theinvention, two user vehicles may be involved in a vehicular crash. Insuch a scenario, the two users may exchange insurance information andother information (e.g., pictures of the crash site taken with a cameraon the mobile device 102) wirelessly using their mobile device 102. Forexample, an application in accordance with various aspects of theinvention may enable the users to wirelessly transmit (e.g., usingBluetooth, SMS messaging, e-mail, or other wireless transmissiontechniques) their information to the other user's mobile device. Atleast one benefit is that the exchange of information between theparties is much more convenient given the stressful situation of avehicular crash.

In addition, the user may contact a customer service representative toreport the vehicular incident. In accordance with various aspects of theinvention, the representative may already have information about theuser and/or user's vehicle on-screen when initiating conversation. Forexample, the application on the mobile device 102 may transmit thedevice's phone number and other information (e.g., accident information,user's location, pictures, or other information) to server 108. As such,the representative's system may use the caller ID feature toappropriately identify the transmitted data as corresponding to thephone number identified on the caller ID. Therefore, information aboutthe user and/or user vehicle may already be displayed on therepresentative's screen when the call commences. Thus, an enhancedroadside assistance program may be offered to users.

Preventive Measures.

As explained earlier, vehicles with onboard diagnostic equipment (e.g.,ODB II port) may be able to retrieve information about operatingparameters of the user's vehicle. As such, the diagnostic equipment maybe able to assist the user in the maintenance and upkeep of the vehicle;thus, resulting in a safer vehicle and hopefully fewer incidents. Themobile device 102 may receive alert notifications when parameters of thevehicle are outside of normal operating limits or limits set by the useror other entity. For example, if the user's battery is dead or low, theuser may receive a notification on the mobile device 102 (or elsewheredesignated by the user) about the dead or failing car battery. Likewise,if the vehicle's tire pressure runs low, the mobile device 102 mayreceive a notification. Along with the notification, the mobile device102 may be provided with one or more service providers (e.g., towingcompanies, mechanics shops, or other providers) that can repair theproblem.

Referring to FIG. 3, the flowchart illustrates various features of theone or more embodiments of the invention. The user may register usingthe mobile device 102, or may, in some embodiments, register online witha personal computer. Once the user is registered, information about theuser (e.g., user profile information) may be stored on the mobile device102 (or on a remote server 108). That information may be useful instoring and displaying information about the user, including a pictureof the user's vehicle, make/model/year of the vehicle, vehicle'sinsurance policy (or motor club) number (e.g., virtual membership card),and other pertinent information. In some embodiments, the user may onlybe “pre-registered” 302 (i.e., registered with the application with somebasic information (e.g., name, vehicle, phone number, etc.), but may nothave a membership in a roadside assistance program); thus, features suchas the virtual membership card may be grayed out (i.e., deactivated) onthe user's screen. However, in one example, the pre-registered user mayprovide the application with some basic authentication information(e.g., last four digits of social security number, date of birth, and/ormembership number) to authenticate herself, and then need only provide304 some minimal additional authorization information (e.g., credit cardinformation, vehicle information, driver information, etc.) toactivate/register 306 for membership in the roadside assistance program.At least one benefit of pre-registration is that a user can go throughthe lengthy registration process in advance, and then at the time of aroadside event (e.g., car crash), the user can activate thepre-registration for membership privileges with minimal hassle.

One of ordinary skill in the art will understand that the flowchartsillustrate just some examples of functions/features available inaccordance with various aspects of the invention, and that otherexamples of features are available as described throughout thespecification and figures. For example, various aspects of the inventioninclude a feature for obtaining customer feedback. The feature enablesprompt and accurate feedback about the user's experience because, interalia, the feedback is collected almost immediately after the event ofinterest, and the questions can be tailored to the specifics of theparticular event/user/details.

Regarding user vehicle registration, the user may enter variousinformation to register for enhanced roadside assistance. In someembodiments, the user may enter just the vehicle VIN (vehicleidentification number). The server 108 and/or mobile device 102 maystore the VIN and retrieve information about the vehicle (e.g., made,model, year, etc.) based off the VIN. In an alternative embodiment, theuser may also be required to enter membership information, such as name,zip code, or a member identification number. The membership informationmay be linked to the user's insurance or motor club profile and mappedas such on server 108. As a result, future communications between themobile device 102 and the server 108 may be recognized as related to aparticular member. Membership may refer to membership in a roadsideassistance program, motor club, or other group/organization.

Electronic Membership Card.

Membership information may be illustrated in an exemplary virtualmembership card screen, as depicted in FIG. 4. The member card screen400 may illustrate the date through which the user's membership is validand/or the date since the user has been a member. The user's membershipnumber, membership level (e.g., Platinum), and other information mayalso be displayed on the membership card screen. At least some of theinformation displayed on the membership card screen may be locallystored on the mobile device 102. As such, the user need not be connectedto a carrier or WiFi in order to retrieve his/her membershipinformation. Alternatively, membership information may be stored on aserver 108 and retrieved for display on the screen. At least one benefitof an electronic membership card is that changes to the user's policyand/or other updates may be dynamically pushed to the user's mobiledevice 102. As such, the user may have instant access to updated policyinformation and need not necessarily wait for an insurance company tomail him/her an updated membership card. In addition, the membershipcard screen may include information about services and promotionsoffered to members. For example, a roadside assistance icon may appearto indicate that roadside assistance on the go is available to the user.In addition, promotions and discounts, for example on travel (e.g.,flights, rental cars, hotels, etc.) may be available to members and acorresponding icon or information may appear on the membership cardscreen accordingly.

Meanwhile, a service provider may also be provided with a registrationscreen in some embodiments in accordance with aspects of the invention.Service provider vehicles may be equipped with wireless-enabled devices(e.g., navigation systems with Internet connectivity) that permit thevehicle operator to react in realtime to service requests. For example,the exact location of the service vehicle can be tracked using thisonboard device.

Enhanced Interactive Voice Response (IVR). In an alternative embodiment,information from the application on the mobile device 102 may betransmitted to a remote server related to an IVR system. For wirelessdevices 102 with a mobile data plan, the information may be transmittedover a wireless Internet connection. However, in those instances wherethe mobile device does not have data connectivity, the device maytransmit the data to the IVR system using other available means. Forexample, in one embodiment, the information may be transmitted as a SMS(or comparable text message format) message to the IVR system. As aresult, when a user calls into the IVR system, the user may receive anenhanced experience because the user's location and other relevantinformation may already be available at the IVR system. The IVR may, insome embodiments, still confirm for security reasons the name of themember, zip code of the member, and service requested beforetransferring the user to a service provider. The disclosed enhanced IVRis beneficial because it alleviates the requirement to have the userlisten to endless prompts and respond with touchtone key presses. Insome examples, if the user wishes to speak with a customer servicerepresentative, he/she may press “0” (or other designated key) toimmediately speak with a representative.

Other features in accordance with various aspects of the invention arelisted below. For example, server 108 may generate a user driving scorebased on the user's reactions to communications and recommendations froman insurance company or a motor club. The driving score may be used toadjust the user's insurance premiums or membership dues and/or otheraspects of the user's insurance policy or motor club membership. Inanother example, the mobile device 102 may provide the user withinformation regarding the relative safety of proposed navigation routesas, for example, is described in the provisional applications, whichwere previously incorporated by reference in their entireties. In yetanother example, the mobile device 102 may provide different color-codedzones on a map to indicate the relative safety of various areas. Forexample, the mobile device 102 may alert the user that a particularintersection is particularly hazardous and has a statistically higherfrequency of vehicle incidents. One or more of these features may beprovided in accordance with various aspects of the invention. In yetanother example, the mobile device may provide the user with informationregarding the relative safety of drivers or vehicles in the vicinity ofthe user. This information may be provided through transmission ofscores or other data regarding the drivers or vehicles in the vicinityof the user.

In one embodiment in accordance with aspects of the invention, a systemis described where two servers and a mobile device assist in providingroadside assistance. The mobile device may communicate with a firstserver and provide various information about the status of a vehicle,the user, and/or other information. The first server may communicatewith a second server to electronically request, approve, and monitor aservice provider hired to service the vehicle. The first server mayprovide information and/or regular updates to the mobile deviceregarding the service provider. The first server may also authorizepayment to the service provider once the job is completed. One or moreaspects of the aforementioned embodiment are described in greater detailthroughout the disclosure.

In another embodiment in accordance with aspects of this invention,FIGS. 7 and 8 illustrate a roadside assistance system 700 thatcoordinates towing facilities and roadside assistance providers andtheir available capacity to tow and provide roadside assistance andmatches users with those towing facilities and roadside assistanceproviders. Generally, the roadside assistance system 700 may provide asystem that matches users who need towing services or roadsideassistance together with towing service providers and roadsideassistance providers by providing real-time supply management and onpremise technology at the service providers and/or repair facilities. Itis understand to one skilled in the art that the embodiments describedand disclosed above and in FIGS. 1-6 may be used together with theseembodiments illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8 and described below.

The roadside assistance system 700 illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8discloses a system that involves automated scheduling and the order andreceipt of towing services roadside assistance services. The roadsideassistance system 700 may allow for roadside assistance facilitiesand/or towing facilities to pre-register providing towing services orroadside assistance. The roadside assistance system 700 may also allowfor users to pre-register to order and/or request towing services orroadside assistance. A user who may need a towing or roadside assistancefor their disabled vehicle, may activate an application or “order” intheir mobile device or “cell phone.” The user may identify that theyneed a tow or roadside assistance at their present location. The user'spresent location may be identified by the GPS in the mobile device. Theroadside assistance system 700 may consider various factors in providingthe automated scheduling services for the tow services. For example, theroadside assistance system 700 may consider: (a) availability of nearbytowing facilities; (b) telematics information from the vehicle to assistwith the diagnosis/repairs; (c) preset preferences of the user; (d)insurance information (such as the type of the vehicle the user has andthe user's home address); and (e) the capabilities of the towingfacility. Other factors may be utilized without departing from thisinvention. The roadside assistance system 700 may then send the towtruck or roadside assistance provider that scores the highest accordingto a pre-set algorithm using the factors as discussed above. Theroadside assistance system 700 may also provide the user the ability toselect a tow truck and roadside assistance provider with several optionsfor tow trucks and roadside assistance providers as well as providevarious characteristics of the options (such as time to location,quality rating, cost, etc.).

FIG. 7 is an example block diagram of a roadside assistance system 700and roadside assistance application 705. The roadside assistanceapplication 705 may include a variety of software or firmware modulessuch as one or more of the following: a telematics module 755, anelectronic payment module 760, a roadside assistance module 765, and aninsurance module 770. Each of these modules may be utilized by theroadside assistance application 705.

The telematics module 755 may be configured to receive, evaluate, andanalyze a user's telematics information, such as location, velocity,direction of travel, route, and destination. The present disclosure mayutilize an in-vehicle device or telematics device 710 to collect andprovide telematics information as known and used in the art. Thein-vehicle device 710 may include a processor with a display orgraphical interface that receives and/or collects driving data and/ortelematics information and provides additional information based on thedriving data. The driving data and/or telematics information mayinclude, but not be limited to: location, instantaneous velocity,average velocity, route, destination, etc. The in-vehicle device 710,which may be configured to receive real-time vehicle data, may provide adriver with visual and/or audible in-vehicle information. The in-vehicledevice 710 may process real-time (i.e., near real-time) data and thendisplay the processed information in a meaningful way on a display orgraphical user interface (GUI). The in-vehicle device 710 may receiveand/or collect critical driving data and store summary information forand/or about the driver. The in-vehicle device 710 may also includetelematics information about the service history, previous repairs, andother information that may provide a diagnostic analysis of what repairsor may be needed based on the telematics information.

The in-vehicle device 710 may communicate with a data collection deviceor on-board diagnostics port of a vehicle to collect the driving data.In another exemplary embodiment, the in-vehicle device 710 may acquirethe driving data directly from the device, such as a smart phone, tabletcomputer, or vehicle navigation system via a built-in accelerometerand/or a Global Positioning System (GPS).

The telematics module 755 may further be configured to recommend orprovide a ranked list of service providers based on various factors,such as preferred service providers, safest route, highest rated serviceproviders, types of service providers, etc. Service providers mayinclude those facilities that provide repair services and include towingservices and/or towing facilities without departing from this invention.The telematics module 755 may be in communication with the telematicsdevice or in-vehicle device 710, wherein the telematics device 710 sendsthe telematics information to the telematics module 755. The telematicsmodule 755 may further calculate and provide information regardingdistance to nearest tow truck or available service provider, time totravel (with or without traffic) to selected tow trucks or availableservice providers, route information for selected tow trucks oravailable service providers, etc.

The electronic payment module 760 may be configured to allow for andprovide an electronic payment for the towing service or roadsideassistance that is ordered and completed. The electronic payment module760 may be configured to allow for the electronic payment to beautomatic with a pre-entered payment method, such as credit cardinformation, bank information, etc. With the automatic electronicpayment method, the electronic payment module 760 will automaticallysend the payment information to a service provider server 780 after anorder has been placed and/or completed. Additionally, the electronicpayment module 760 may be configured to allow for manual individualinput of payment methods with each roadside assistance order. In themanual electronic payment method, a roadside assistance order may not becomplete until the user manually inputs payment information to pay forthe roadside assistance or towing. Additionally, the payment may be madeor through an intermediary without departing from the invention. Theelectronic module 760 may provide various benefits, such as: avoidingpaying cash “on the hood” or “over the table”, which may potentiallylead to fraudulent activities; the roadside assistance system 700 canpay the service provider directly; elimination or reduction of drivertheft (by eliminating driver contact with cash and co-paying).

The roadside assistance module 765 may be configured to interface withone or more service provider systems during the roadside assistanceordering process. The roadside assistance module 765 may be configuredto provide details of a given tow truck or available service providers,such as location, tow truck type, time to dispatch or arrival, cost,service provider ratings, service provider reviews, etc. Additionally,the roadside assistance module 765 may be configured to providereal-time information about a given tow truck or available roadsideassistance, such as time-to-arrival. The roadside assistance module 765may be in communication with a service provider server 780, specificallyfor the real-time roadside assistance information. The service providerserver 780 may be similar to or the same as the server 110 asillustrated in FIG. 1 and described above. Accordingly, a user may beable to receive immediate information about a given tow truck orroadside assistance through the roadside assistance module 765 of theroadside assistance application 705.

Additionally, an insurance module 770 may be included with the roadsideassistance application 705. The insurance module 770 may includeinsurance information 735 that may reside on an insurance server 730regarding information about a particular user, previous accidents,previous claims, information about other users with similarcharacteristics, etc. The insurance server 730 may be similar to or thesame as the server 108 as illustrated in FIG. 1 and described above. Theinsurance module 770 may be configured to utilize roadside assistanceinformation and rating factors for providing insurance to the user. Theinsurance module 770 may derive rating factors for providing insurancebased on various information. Additionally, the insurance module 770 maybe configured to utilize the insurance information 735 and specificallythe knowledge and information of previous accidents and claims to assistin selecting the route or best tow truck or roadside assistance for theuser.

Additionally, the insurance module 770 may be configured to utilize theinsurance information 735 known about a particular user and insuranceinformation 735 about users with similar characteristics to provide aprioritized rank and/or recommendations regarding routes and serviceprovider locations. Additionally, the insurance module 770 may providesortable information, such as providing a sortable list of a serviceprovider closest to the user's home, the lowest price, the best ratingsor reviews, and/or the fastest estimated time of arrival, etc. Theinsurance information 735 may be utilized in scheduling the roadsideassistance. For example, the insurance information 735 may provide themake/model/type of the vehicle, such as an all-wheel drive vehicle whichmight establish whether a hook-type tow truck can tow or whether aflatbed tow truck is required. The insurance information 735 may providewhether the vehicle is under warranty and know what the covered servicesare for the vehicle. The insurance module 770 may provide a rewarddepending on the service provider selected by the user and potentiallythe service required and ordered by the user. If the user chooses apriority service provider or safe route for the roadside assistance, theinsurance module 770 may provide an insurance reward, such as a discounton future premiums, increased coverage, or decreased deductibles.

The steps that follow in FIG. 8 may be implemented by one or more of thecomponents in FIGS. 1, 2, and 7 and/or other components, including othercomputing devices. FIGS. 8A and 8B illustrate an example process 800 bywhich a user may utilize a computer-implemented method and roadsideassistance system 700 and a roadside assistance application 705 withinsurance aspects. The roadside assistance application 705 may providesafe and quick ordering of roadside assistance from a user's vehicle.The roadside assistance application 705 may be located on a user'smobile device 102, such a cell phone, a smart phone, or tablet/laptopcomputer. The roadside assistance application 705 may also be located ona vehicle's on-board computer or navigation system. The roadsideassistance application 705 may be configured to allow for orderingroadside assistance remotely or from a vehicle for pick-up or deliveryby providing the use of an application on a mobile device 102 thatprovides information that allows the ordering. The roadside assistanceapplication 705 may also allow for the electronic payment for theroadside assistance. Telematics information regarding the user and/orthe vehicle may be utilized to provide information regarding a user'slocation, velocity (instantaneous and average), route, and destination.The computer-implemented method and system may utilize this telematicsinformation to provide a prioritized ranked list of service providersfor the user.

Referring to FIG. 8A, in step 805, the user may register using themobile device 102, or may, in some embodiments, register online with apersonal computer. Once the user is registered, information about theuser (e.g., user profile information) may be stored on the mobile device102 or on the roadside assistance system 700. That information may beuseful in storing and displaying information about the user, including apicture of the user's vehicle, make/model/year of the vehicle, vehicle'sinsurance policy (or motor club) number (e.g., virtual membership card),and other pertinent information. In some embodiments, the user may onlybe “pre-registered” (i.e., registered with the application with somebasic information (e.g., name, vehicle, phone number, etc.), but may nothave a membership in a roadside assistance program); thus, features suchas the virtual membership card may be grayed out (i.e., deactivated) onthe user's screen. However, in one example, the pre-registered user mayprovide the application with some basic authentication information(e.g., last four digits of social security number, date of birth, and/ormembership number) to authenticate herself, and then need only providesome minimal additional authorization information (e.g., credit cardinformation, vehicle information, driver information, etc.) toactivate/register for membership in the roadside assistance program. Atleast one benefit of pre-registration is that a user can go through thelengthy registration process in advance, and then at the time of aroadside event (e.g., vehicle crash or vehicle breakdown), the user canactivate the pre-registration for membership privileges with minimalhassle. Additionally, the user may be required to pass a qualification.

Regarding user vehicle registration, the user may enter variousinformation to register for enhanced roadside assistance. In someembodiments, the user may enter just the vehicle VIN (vehicleidentification number). The roadside assistance system 700 and/or mobiledevice 102 may store the VIN and retrieve information about the vehicle(e.g., made, model, year, etc.) based off the VIN. In an alternativeembodiment, the user may also be required to enter membershipinformation, such as name, zip code, or a member identification number.The membership information may be linked to the user's insurance ormotor club profile and mapped as such on the roadside assistance system700. As a result, future communications between the mobile device 102and the roadside assistance system 700 may be recognized as related to aparticular member. Membership may refer to membership in a roadsideassistance program, motor club, or other group/organization.

In addition, during step 805, the towing facilities and roadsideassistance service providers may also be required or allowed topre-register or register with the roadside assistance system 700. Thepre-approved repair facilities may also engage in and provide towingservice and may also be required to pre-register or register with theroadside assistance system 700. By being registered with the roadsideassistance system 700, these pre-approved repair facilities find an easyway for repairs to be brought to the repair facilities. Thepre-registration or registration process for the towing serviceproviders, roadside assistance service providers, and/or repairfacilities may require a qualification. The service providers and/orfacilities may be required to pass qualifications as required. Thequalification may require proof of training and registration of the towtruck inventory, as well as rating, reviews, and past performance of theservice providers and/or facilites.

In step 810, the roadside assistance system 700 may receive a roadsideassistance request from a user. In this step 810, the user may utilizethe roadside assistance application 705 on a mobile device 102, such asa cell phone, a smart phone, or a tablet/laptop computer to requestroadside assistance. The user may also utilize the roadside assistanceapplication 705 on a vehicle's on-board computer or navigation system.In an embodiment according to the disclosure, the system may receive theroadside assistance request via a hand-free set up that may be linked orcommunicatively connected to the mobile device 102 or the vehicle'son-board computer or navigation system. The roadside assistance requestmay include such requests such as the type of roadside assistance, i.e.towing, repair services, on-site repair services, etc. The roadsideassistance request may also include a request for personnel to betransported with the towed vehicle.

In step 815, the roadside assistance system 700 may receive telematicsinformation. The telematics information may be sent from the telematicsmodule 755 and/or a telematics device 710 located in the vehicle or aspart of the mobile device 102. The telematics information may includeinformation regarding the user and/or the user's vehicle. The telematicsinformation may include information such as the user's location, theuser's velocity (both instantaneous and/or average), the user'sdirection of travel, the user's route and final destination. Thistelematics information may then be utilized to assist in providingfurther information to the system and the roadside assistanceapplication 705.

In addition to step 815, in step 820, the roadside assistance system 700may also receive insurance information 735. Insurance information 735may be utilized with the computer-implemented method and system that mayreside on an insurance server 730 and/or the insurance module 770. Theinsurance information 735 may include information about a particularuser, location and instances of previous accidents, locations andinstances of previous claims, information about other users with similarcharacteristics, etc. The insurance information 735 may also include themake/model/type of vehicle of the user, which may assist in theselection of the type of tow truck required (i.e. trailer or hook). Forexample, the insurance information 735 may provide the make/model/typeof the vehicle, such as an all-wheel drive vehicle which might establishwhether a hook-type tow truck can tow or whether a flatbed tow truck isrequired. The insurance information 735 may provide whether the vehicleis under warranty and know what the covered services are for thevehicle. The insurance information 735 may also include billinginformation of the user. The insurance information 735 may also includeprevious repairs and work as performed during the history of thevehicle. The insurance information 735 may also include preventativerepairs and information that are needed based on the telematicsinformation.

Additionally, in step 820, the roadside assistance system 700 may use aset of historical and/or insurance information 735 about the user toassist and manage the roadside assistance in meeting the roadsideassistance request. Generally, the historical information and insuranceinformation 735 may include customer information, insured information,vehicle information, locations and instances for previous accidents andprevious insurance claims. The set of historical and/or insuranceinformation 735 may include type of insurance and the primary address ofthe user. The roadside assistance system 700 may utilize the set ofhistorical and/or insurance information 735 about the user to allocateroadside assistance to a service provider who may be an insured memberbased on the set of historical and/or insurance information 735. Theroadside assistance system 700 may also utilize the set of historicaland/or insurance information 735 about the user to pre-determine a listof service providers that currently are willing and available to provideroadside assistance to the user. The roadside assistance system 700 mayalso utilize the set of historical and/or insurance information 735about the user to match locations of the potential roadside assistance,tow facilities, or repair facilities with the residence of the user.

Also in step 820, the roadside assistance system 700 may utilizehistorical information and/or insurance information 735 to determine asafe route for a potential service provider for the tow truck orroadside assistance route to the user. Based on the historicalinformation and/or insurance information 735, the roadside assistancesystem 700 may know where the tow truck or roadside assistance iscurrently located and provide the safest route and/or a prioritized listof those service providers to the current location of the user andpotentially to the requested delivery location of the user. The roadsideassistance system 700 may further utilize the historical and/orinsurance information 735 such as previous accident locations and/orinsurance claims to assist in selecting the safest route to the serviceproviders and/or the current location and requested delivery location ofthe user. The roadside assistance system 700 may provide recommendationsfor the safest routes and rate the routes and the service providersbased on the previous accidents and claims in the historical and/orinsurance information 735.

In step 825, the roadside assistance system 700 may provide aprioritized ranking of service providers based on the telematicsinformation and the roadside assistance request. For example, if theroadside assistance request includes a towing service request, thesystem will provide a prioritized ranking of towing service providersclosest to the user and based on the user's location and/or user's finaldestination. Additionally, based on the telematics data and the roadsideassistance request, the roadside assistance system 700 may know wherethe user is and the direction of travel of the tow trucks and/or otherservice providers and therefore provide the safest route for the serviceproviders and/or a prioritized list of those service providers.Additionally, in another embodiment of the invention in providing theprioritized ranking, the roadside assistance system 700 may consider:(a) availability of nearby towing facilities or roadside assistancefacilities; (b) telematics information from the vehicle; (c) presetpreferences from the user (such as a preferred service provider,preferred towing provider, preferred repair facility); (d) insuranceinformation (such as the type of vehicle the user has and the user'shome address); or (e) the capabilities of the towing facility orroadside assistance facilities. In another embodiment of the invention,the roadside assistance system 700 may provide a sortable feature thatprovides the user with a sortable list of service providers in one ormore of the following areas: closest service providers to the user'shome, lowest price service providers, best ratings/reviews for theservice providers, fastest estimated time of arrival, or other potentialareas known to those of skill in the art.

In addition, in step 825, the roadside assistance system 700 may provideadditional ranking of service providers based on insurance information735. The roadside assistance system 700 may use the insuranceinformation 735 of previous accident locations and claims to assist inselecting the route or the service providers. The roadside assistancesystem 700 may provide recommendations for the safest routes and ratethe routes and the potential service providers based on the previousaccidents and claims in the insurance information 735.

Also in step 825, the roadside assistance system 700 may use theinsurance information 735 of the particular user and information aboutusers with similar characteristics to provide recommendations regardingroutes and service provider destinations. Based on the usercharacteristics and past behavior, the roadside assistance system 700may prioritize a list of potential service providers or routes for theindividual that the system determines will best meet the preferences ofthe individual.

In step 830, the roadside assistance system 700 may provide serviceprovider information regarding any of the service providers on theprioritized service provider ranking list. This service providerinformation may include, but not be limited to location, cost, serviceprovider type, and roadside assistance type. The service providerinformation may also include additional knowledge of the serviceproviders and/or roadside assistance providers. The service providerinformation may include ratings and reviews from other users of theroadside assistance system 700. The service provider may also includeratings and reviews received from third-party reviewers. Additionally,the service provider information may include information about qualifiedand/or registered service providers or roadside assistance providers.Additionally, the service provider information may include real-timeinformation about a given service provider, such as wait time, traveltime, tow truck locations, tow truck availability, etc.

Additionally, in step 830, the service provider may be authorized topick up both the vehicle and people. In some example embodiments, somepolice departments may have a contract with a particular serviceprovider. Additionally, there may be limitations placed on the inventoryof tow trucks, for example in a certain city, where the police may havean agreement with one towing service provider and the roadsideassistance system 700 may include qualification for only this particulartowing service provider for the type of tow in the certain city.

Also in step 830, the roadside assistance system 700 may also provideservice provider information based on a specific search request withinthe roadside assistance order application. The user may search for aspecific service provider within the roadside assistance orderapplication with the return of the service provider information for thesearched service provider or roadside assistance requirements.

In step 835, the roadside assistance system 700 may then receive aroadside assistance order from the user. The roadside assistance system700 may provide the user with several options for tow trucks and/orroadside assistance and provide the various characteristics and optionsfor those tow trucks and/or roadside assistance (time to location, cost,quality rating, prioritized ranking, etc.). The user may input theroadside assistance order via the service provider information on themobile device 102 and the roadside assistance application 705 providedin steps 830. The user may select the roadside assistance order with asimple one or two-button sequence. Additionally, the user may input theroadside assistance order using the hands-free service within theirvehicle that is wirelessly connected to the mobile device 102 and/or theroadside assistance application 705. In another embodiment, in step 835,the roadside assistance system 700 may automatically select the towtruck and/or roadside assistance order and send the tow truck with thehighest score based on the rating factors and rank as determined in step825. This automatic selection of the tow truck and/or the roadsideassistance may be provided by a pre-determined algorithm utilizing oneor many of the factors detailed in this invention.

In step 840, the roadside assistance system 700 may transmit theroadside assistance order to the selected service provider. The selectedservice provider may have a service provider server 780 or processorthat communicates with the roadside assistance application 705 and theroadside assistance system 700. The selected service provider mayrequire the necessary hardware and/or software to communicate with theroadside assistance application 705 and the roadside assistance system700. Additionally in step 840, the service provider sends the requestedtow truck and/or roadside assistance to meet the roadside assistancerequest.

In step 845, the roadside assistance system 700 may receive aconfirmation of the order from the service provider server 780. Theconfirmation of the order may be received via one or more of thefollowing methods: email, text, phone call, social media, etc.Additionally, the confirmation of the order may be received through anintermediary through one or more of the following methods: email, text,phone call, social media, etc.

In step 850, the roadside assistance system 700 may provide trackinginformation on the status of the selected tow truck and/or the roadsideassistance. The service provider server 780 may send the location,distance, travel, and time to destination of the selected tow truckand/or roadside assistance. The selected tow truck and/or roadsideassistance may include a telematics device or a GPS system that willprovide the location, distance traveled, and time and/or distance to thedestination of the selected tow truck and/or roadside assistance. Theroadside assistance system 700 may provide the tracking information tothe mobile device 102 of the user. The tracking information may be inthe form of a table or form or may be in the form of a map on the mobiledevice. The mobile device 102 may include a map of the area that showsboth the location for the requested roadside assistance location and thereal-time location of the tow truck and/or roadside assistance.

In step 855, the roadside assistance system 700 may also provide anelectronic payment for the roadside assistance to the service providerserver 780 utilizing the electronic payment module 760. The electronicpayment may be made automatically to the service provider server 780 andfacilitated by the user entering their payment information into theroadside assistance application 705 during a set-up portion of theapplication. The electronic payment may utilize back billing informationfrom the insurance information 735, which may include a credit carddetails or bank details or other already-verified electronic paymentmethods. The electronic payment may also be made to the service providerserver 780 manually for an individual order by entering the paymentinformation when the order is placed. Additionally, the payment may bemade by or through an intermediary without departing from the invention.

In another aspect of this invention, the roadside assistance system 700may provide rewards to the user depending on the service providerschosen by the user and/or the roadside assistance ordered by the user.The roadside assistance system 700 may also provide rewards based on theuser's decision to follow the recommendations of the system. The rewardsmay include cash back, a reward at the service providers, a discount atthe service providers, and/or a bonus roadside assistance item (such as50% off oil change or tire rotation).

In another aspect of this invention, the roadside assistance system 700may provide insurance rewards to the user depending on the serviceproviders chosen by the user and/or the roadside assistance ordered bythe user. The roadside assistance system 700 may also provide insurancerewards based on the user's decision to follow the recommendations ofthe system. The insurance rewards may include discounts on futurepremiums, increased insurance coverage, and/or decreased deductible.

Additionally, in another embodiment, the roadside assistance system 700may provide rewards to the service provider or the roadside assistanceprovider, such as if the service providers deliver great service. Thetow facility or service provider that provides a high quality servicemay receive a reward back in response to high quality service.

In another aspect of this invention, the roadside assistance system 700may use the roadside assistance information in deriving insurance ratingfactors for insurance coverage. For example, the roadside assistancesystem 700 may keep track and analyze which service providers the userorders from, the locations of those service providers, when the userorders roadside assistance, and the type of roadside assistance ordered,the frequency of orders, etc. Based on the analysis of these orders andthis information among millions of users, the system may derive ratingfactors from the information. Many other variables and rating factorsmay be utilized with this order information, without departing from thisdisclosure.

In another exemplary embodiment, knowledge of accidents and risk may beutilized to augment and/or supplement the roadside assistance system.For example, an insurance company's knowledge of accidents and risks canbe used to suggest routes and destinations for the delivery andselection of the roadside assistance. In another exemplary embodiment,use of user information for prioritization may be utilized to augmentand/or supplement the roadside assistance system 700. For example,insurance companies have a wealth of knowledge about particularcustomers and customers that share particular characteristics and theinsurance companies may use that information to enhance the roadsideassistance system 700.

In another aspect of this invention, the roadside assistance system 700may provide an additional revenue model. The revenue model provides thata middle organization may take a portion of the transaction revenue byfacilitating the matching of users who need towing services or roadsideassistance with the towing service providers and roadside assistanceproviders.

In yet another aspect of this invention, in this roadside assistancesystem 700, the user or customer can directly schedule the towingservice, thereby bypassing the dispatching systems. The user or customeris the sole actor dispatching the tow truck. An email or textconfirmation may be sent out through the roadside assistance system 700verifying the completion or fulfillment of the tow truck or roadsideassistance. This confirmation may be sent through or by an intermediarywithout departing from the invention. If the user does not use theservice after the order has been placed, a note may be sent (via text oremail) to the user and a note or comment go into the user's registrationfile. If consistently missed or determined to be a serious violation,the user may be voted off or out of the roadside assistance system 700or forced to pay a penalty amount.

The foregoing presents a simplified summary of the disclosure in orderto provide a basic understanding of some aspects. It is not intended toidentify key or critical elements of the invention or to delineate thescope of the invention. Although not required, one of ordinary skill inthe art will appreciate that various aspects described herein may beembodied as a method, a data processing system, or as acomputer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions.Accordingly, those aspects may take the form of an entirely hardwareembodiment, an entirely software embodiment or an embodiment combiningsoftware and hardware aspects. For example, a tangible computer-readablemedium (e.g., a CD-ROM, RAM, hard drive, flash memory, etc.) storinginstructions to cause a processor to perform methods in accordance withaspects of the disclosure is contemplated.

Numerous trademarks and/or service marks have been used throughout thisdisclosure. These trademarks and/or service marks are owned by theirrespective companies.

Aspects of the invention have been described in terms of illustrativeembodiments thereof. Numerous other embodiments, modifications andvariations within the scope and spirit of the disclosed invention willoccur to persons of ordinary skill in the art from a review of thisentire disclosure. For example, one of ordinary skill in the art willappreciate that the steps illustrated in the illustrative figures may beperformed in other than the recited order, and that one or more stepsillustrated may be optional in accordance with aspects of thedisclosure.

We claim:
 1. A method comprising: after occurrence of a roadside eventto a vehicle, receiving, through a mobile application executing on amobile device having at least one processor, a roadside assistancerequest from a user, wherein the roadside assistance request is receivedthrough the mobile device; receiving, by the mobile application,telematics information from a telematics device; determining, by themobile application, a time to travel utilizing the telematicsinformation, the roadside assistance request, and roadside assistanceprovider information, wherein the time to travel utilizes routeinformation and traffic information; receiving, by the mobileapplication, a roadside assistance order from the user that includes aselected roadside assistance provider based on a shortest time totravel; transmitting, by the mobile application, the roadside assistanceorder to the selected roadside assistance provider; receiving, by themobile application, confirmation of the roadside assistance order fromthe selected roadside assistance provider; and receiving, by the mobileapplication, a set of tracking information for the selected roadsideassistance provider, wherein the set of tracking information includeslocation, velocity, route, time to travel, and destination of theselected roadside assistance provider.
 2. The method of claim 1 furtherinclude the step of: providing, by the mobile application, a reward tothe user based on the roadside assistance order, wherein the reward isone or more of the following: cash back, a discount for the roadsideassistance order, or a bonus roadside assistance item for the roadsideassistance order.
 3. The method of claim 1, further including the stepof: receiving, by the mobile application, insurance information from aninsurance company, wherein the insurance information includesinformation about the user, vehicle information, and a home address forthe user, wherein the selected roadside assistance provider is alsobased on the insurance information to select a route to the user fromthe location of the roadside assistance provider that is a safest routebased on a set of previous accidents and previous claims in theinsurance information.
 4. The method of claim 1, further including thestep of: providing, by the mobile application, an electronic payment tothe selected roadside assistance provider for the roadside assistanceorder.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the roadside assistanceprovider information includes: locations of available roadsideassistance providers, type of roadside assistance providers, and a setof ratings of the roadside assistance providers.
 6. The method of claim1, wherein the roadside assistance provider information includesreal-time information that includes one or more of the following: a waittime, a time-to-arrival time, service provider locations, serviceprovider availability.
 7. The method of claim 1, where the roadsideassistance request is for one or more of the following: a lock out ofthe vehicle, a flat tire of the vehicle, a dead battery of the vehicle,an out of gas condition of the vehicle, or a mechanical failure of thevehicle.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein the selected roadsideassistance provider is further based on the following factors: anavailability of nearby roadside assistance providers, telematicsinformation from the vehicle to assist with a diagnosis and repairs ofthe vehicle, preset preferences of the user, and a set of capabilitiesof the roadside assistance providers.
 9. A method comprising: afteroccurrence of a roadside event to a vehicle, receiving input at a mobiledevice related to an electronic membership card; retrieving, from a datastore, membership information associated with the vehicle, where themembership information includes roadside assistance services availableto the vehicle to remedy the roadside event; receiving, by a roadsideassistance system with a mobile application executing on the mobiledevice having at least one processor, a roadside assistance request froma user; receiving, by the roadside assistance system, telematicsinformation from a telematics device; determining, by the roadsideassistance system, a time to travel utilizing the telematics informationand the roadside assistance request, wherein the time to travel utilizesroute information and traffic information; providing, by the roadsideassistance system, a selected roadside assistance provider and roadsideassistance provider information based on a shortest time to travel;receiving, by the roadside assistance system, a roadside assistanceorder from the user; transmitting, by the roadside assistance system,the roadside assistance order to the selected roadside assistanceprovider; and providing, by the roadside assistance system, anelectronic payment to the selected roadside assistance provider for theroadside assistance order to the selected roadside assistance provider.10. The method of claim 9, further including the step of: receiving, bythe roadside assistance system, a set of tracking information for theselected roadside assistance provider.
 11. The method of claim 10,wherein the set of tracking information includes location, velocity,route, and destination of the selected roadside assistance provider. 12.The method of claim 9, wherein the roadside assistance providerinformation includes: locations of available roadside assistanceproviders, type of roadside assistance providers, and a set of ratingsof the roadside assistance providers.
 13. The method of claim 9, whereinthe roadside assistance provider information includes real-timeinformation that includes one or more of the following: a wait time foreach roadside assistance provider, a time-to-arrival time for eachroadside assistance provider, a location for each roadside assistanceprovider, and an availability for each roadside assistance provider. 14.The method of claim 9, where the roadside event comprises at least oneof: a lock out of the vehicle, a flat tire of the vehicle, a deadbattery of the vehicle, an out of gas condition of the vehicle, and amechanical failure of the vehicle.
 15. One or more non-transitorycomputer readable media storing computer readable instructions that,when executed, cause an apparatus to: (a) after occurrence of a roadsideevent to a vehicle, retrieve, from a data store, membership informationassociated with the vehicle, where the membership information includesroadside assistance services available to the vehicle to remedy theroadside event; (b) receive, by a roadside assistance system with amobile application executing on a mobile device having at least oneprocessor, a roadside assistance request from a user; (c) receive, bythe roadside assistance system, telematics information from a telematicsdevice; (d) determine, by the roadside assistance system, a time totravel utilizing the telematics information and the roadside assistancerequest, wherein the time to travel utilizes route information andtraffic information; (e) receive, by the mobile application, a roadsideassistance order automatically selected based on a roadside assistanceprovider with a shortest time to travel, wherein the roadside assistanceorder includes a selected roadside assistance provider and roadsideassistance provider information; (f) after occurrence of a roadsideevent to a vehicle, receiving input at a mobile device related to anelectronic membership card; (g) transmit, by the mobile application, theroadside assistance order to the selected roadside assistance provider;and (h) provide, by the mobile application, an electronic payment to theselected roadside assistance provider for the roadside assistance order.16. The one or more non-transitory computer readable media of claim 15,further including the step of: (i) receive, by the mobile application,insurance information from an insurance company, wherein the insuranceinformation includes information about the user, vehicle information,and a home address of the user, and further wherein the selectedroadside assistance provider is based on the insurance information toselect a route to the vehicle from the selected roadside assistanceprovider that is a safest route based on a set of previous accidents andprevious claims in the insurance information.
 17. The one or morenon-transitory computer readable media of claim 15, wherein the selectedroadside assistance provider is based on the following factors: anavailability of nearby roadside assistance providers, telematicsinformation from the vehicle to assist with a diagnosis and repairs ofthe vehicle, preset preferences of the user, and a set of capabilitiesof the roadside assistance providers.
 18. The one or more non-transitorycomputer readable media of claim 15, wherein the roadside assistanceprovider information includes: location of available roadside assistanceproviders, type of roadside assistance providers, and a set of ratingsof the roadside assistance provider.
 19. The one or more non-transitorycomputer readable media of claim 15, wherein the roadside assistanceprovider information includes real-time information that includes one ormore of the following: a wait time, a time-to-arrival time, roadsideassistance provider locations, service provider availability.
 20. Theone or more non-transitory computer readable media of claim 15, wherethe roadside event comprises at least one of: a lock out of the vehicle,a flat tire of the vehicle, a dead battery of the vehicle, an out of gascondition of the vehicle, and a mechanical failure of the vehicle.